The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and especially to an electrical connector having a shell securely fixed to a dielectric housing of the connector.
Connectors are widely applied in electronic instruments for signal transmission between inner components of the electronic instrument or between the electronic instrument and other electronic systems. An electrical connector commonly consists of a dielectric housing and a plurality of conductive contacts. A shield is often fixed to the housing for shielding the electrical connector from exterior electromagnetic interference. A conventional shield is stamped and formed from a metal sheet and usually forms retention means for latching the shield to a housing of the connector. A pertinent conventional connector is disclosed in Taiwan Patent Application No. 84207642.
A conventional retention means may comprise latching openings defined in opposite side walls of a shield and projections formed on opposite side walls of a dielectric housing of a connector. When the shield is fixed to the housing, the latching openings engage with the corresponding projections of the housing. However, the opposite side walls of the shield must be deformed away from each other for facilitating engagement with the corresponding projections. The shield may not completely recover from such a deformation thereby adversely affecting the stability and reliability of the engagement between the shield and the housing. Furthermore, the shield may be frequently subject to a force for connecting/separating the connector with/from a mating connector. However, the conventional retention means cannot effectively resist such a force.
Therefore, a new retention means is required for an electrical connector which can ensure a reliable engagement between a shield and a housing of the connector and effectively resist a force for connecting/separating the connector with/from a mating connector.